The show will go on at South Padre Convention Center

Wednesday

Nov 26, 2008 at 12:01 AM

With the convention center repaired and enough hotel space renovated, Illinois meets Kent State on Friday (5 p.m., Fox College Sports) in tournament play on the barrier island. The Illini play either Texas A&M or Tulsa on Saturday. Spencer made alternative plans to move the tournament but always hoped to keep it on the island for the fourth straight season.

John Supinie

Spinning over South Padre Island, Texas, Hurricane Dolly tore the roof off South Padre Convention Center and left the basketball court underwater in late July.

The storm also had college basketball tournament promoter Chris Spencer temporarily thinking about alternative plans.

"We thought we might have the South Padre Island Invitational live from Champaign,'' Spencer said.

That wouldn't have made the other seven teams too happy, but the show would go on. With the convention center repaired and enough hotel space renovated, Illinois meets Kent State on Friday (5 p.m., Fox College Sports) in tournament play on the barrier island. The Illini play either Texas A&M or Tulsa on Saturday. Spencer made alternative plans to move the tournament but always hoped to keep it on the island for the fourth straight season.

"Three months ago, I was nervous,'' Spencer said. "They had 120 workers 24 hours a day working on the convention center. They got on the ball right way. FEMA was there in days. We're not the only event that comes to the convention center. It's the lifeblood. If it closes, that hurts. They've got to start canceling events.

"I wanted to be fair to South Padre, and I wanted to have it here.''

Dolly caused $600 million in damages in the Rio Grande Valley. Meteorologists first predicted it would make landfall farther north, but a late change in track put in right on South Padre. The storm halted over the region, and south winds filled the back bay with water and flooded the island.

The convention center sits at the island's west side, just a few feet from the bay. The building first had a temporary roof, and the seating area also had to be repaired. All eight teams are housed in one hotel. Rooms are scarce, and "there's still cosmetic work to be done'' on the island, Spencer said.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber first noticed the storm in July.

"I watch that dang Weather Channel all the time,'' Weber said. "Coming to Champaign was the other alternative if we couldn't find another place. We made some plans. We had the (high school) football state championships here. That would have been a hassle. We would have been comfortable. I'm not sure about the other teams.''

The tournament also includes Jackson State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, North Carolina-Wilmington and North Carolina Central.

"South Padre wanted to make sure everyone knows they're still alive and open,'' Weber said. "Their big days are spring break. At least the word is out. The tournament is alive and kicking.''

But if South Padre couldn't get the convention center repaired, Spencer made sure the coaches knew the tournament would be played somewhere. It sounds like that would have been Champaign..

"We never told them exactly what the plan would be,'' Spencer said. "We were going to play ball. That's about as much as I was going to tell them. No matter what, I didn't care where it was played. It was going to be played. We'd deal with the consequences after the fact.''

NOTES: Illinois plays in the Las Vegas Invitational next season. The field also includes Bradley, Oklahoma State and Utah. The tournament, held over Thanksgiving weekend, is also promoted by Spencer. The tournament won't air on Fox Sports Midwest. The Fox College Sports channel is found on most sports tier digital packages.